Mobile hotel clerk pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges

Bryant Niles, 28, was arrested by Mobile police on Friday, March 1, 2013.

MOBILE, Alabama -- In a dark gray Mobile County Metro Jail
shirt and oversized brown pants, a man pleaded not guilty in federal court today
on charges that he stole the credit card numbers of multiple customers while
working at a local motel.

Bryant O'Nell Niles, 28, has been charged with one count
each of fraud by wire, radio or television and fraud with identification
documents.

To hide his tracks prosecutors say Niles went into the
motel's database, where he stole credit card information from his theft
victims. He then charged the cards for the owners' hotel stays, keeping the
victims' money.

The charges were made between Feb. 10 and Feb. 25 on at
least five different cards and ranged from about $45 to upwards of $90.

In total, Niles is accused of stealing approximately $771.

Before he entered his plea, U.S. Magistrate Judge William
Cassady declared Niles indigent and appointed Assistant Federal Defender
Latisha Colvin as his attorney.

According to booking records, Niles has faced nearly 20
counts of or relating to fraud and has pleaded guilty to seven
charges related to identity theft and fraud since 2008.

He was initially charged with trafficking in stolen
identities and multiple counts of credit card fraud, although Mobile County
Circuit Court documents show prosecutors declined to pursue the case in light
of his federal case.

According to a request to remand Niles after his most recent
arrest, his sentence was scheduled to end on March 25, 2015. He will likely
spend the time between then and now in jail after a Mobile County Circuit Court
judge granted the request and revoked Niles' probation.

The U.S. Marshals Service will keep Niles in custody until
he's finished serving that sentence, said Cassady.

Niles was indicted in federal court shortly after his arrest
in March.